5 years of studying rich people taught me they have a set of unwavering beliefs that the rest of us don't

Chris Jackson / Staff / Getty Images Beliefs represent the acceptance of something without any proof to back up what we accept as fact. They are inherited unconscious programming.

In my five-year Rich Habits study of 233 rich people and 128 poor people (you can see the criteria for each on my website), I discovered that your beliefs dictate your circumstances in life. Those who are wealthy have different beliefs than those who are poor or stuck in the middle class.

We adopt the beliefs of our parents, family, mentors, culture, and environment (our neighborhood, town, city, state, and country). Most who were raised in poverty inherited limiting beliefs that hold them back in life. Those who are able to rise from poverty and become wealthy found mentors who possessed success beliefs or employed certain strategies that enabled them to remove their limiting beliefs and implant success beliefs, effectively re-programming their entire belief system.

The wealthy adopt certain beliefs that promote success:

I must read to learn.

I am responsible for the circumstances of my life.

Money and wealth are good.

There is an abundance of money and wealth to go around.

Anyone has the ability to become wealthy. I can become wealthy.

I can solve any problem.

I can overcome any obstacle.

I create my own luck.

Opportunities are everywhere.

Opportunity does not knock. I have to go out and find it and take action.

I must earn respect.

Failure is just another way to learn.

Failure is the stepping stone to success.

Risk is good when it is calculated risk.

There is good debt and bad debt.

No one succeeds on their own. I can only succeed if I surround myself with other success-minded people.

I can accomplish anything I put my mind to.

Time is the most valuable resource. I must make efficient use of my time. Wasting it is a crime.

Birds of a feather flock together. I will avoid toxic people and surround myself with success-minded people.

Dreams and goals are the rungs on the ladder of success.

If I help others succeed, I will succeed.

If I improve the lives of others, I will improve my life.

Always exceed the expectations of others.

I am in control of my thoughts and emotions.

Never quit on a dream.

Success takes time.

I must save more than I earn and invest my savings in my dreams and goals.

I am amazing and unstoppable.

If you want to succeed in life, if you want to become rich, you need to understand the beliefs you currently have and then do some surgery. For a week, write down in a notepad every belief that pops in your head. This belief awareness exercise enables you to isolate any limiting beliefs that are likely holding you back in life. Once you've identified those limiting beliefs, then it's time to remove them and add the beliefs that will enable you to become rich and successful.

Meditate and focus on your new success beliefs (10-15 minutes a day is all it takes).

Your existing beliefs were formed over many years. It takes time to re-program you belief system. How long? At least one year of dedicated effort. But that one-year investment will pay you dividends for the rest of your life. Your future self will thank you.